Jose Canseco - WikiHQ

José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964) He won the Silver Slugger Award four times: three as an American League (AL) outfielder (1988, 1990, 1991), and once as a designated hitter (1998). He ranks fourth all-time in Athletics history with 254 home runs and is one of 14 players in MLB history with 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases. Despite many injuries during the later part of his career, Canseco averaged 40 home runs, 120 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored every 162 games, playing a total of 1,887 games in 17 seasons with seven different teams. His 462 career home runs are the 12th-highest total in AL history and the 2nd most in MLB history for a player with less than 2,000 games played. For the length of his career (1985-2001) Canseco had the 3rd most home runs in Major League Baseball behind only Mark McGwire (583) and Barry Bonds (567). He is the 7th lowest drafted player (15th round, 392nd pick in 1982) in MLB history ever to win an MVP Award. From the day of his debut until his last game in MLB (September 5, 1985, until his last career game on October 6, 2001), no one hit more home runs in the American League than Canseco.

Canseco admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his major-league playing career, and in 2005 wrote a tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, in which he said that the vast majority of MLB players use steroids. After retiring from MLB, he also competed in boxing and mixed martial arts.

Early life

Canseco was born in Havana, Cuba, the son of José Sr. and Barbara Canseco. His father was Cuban while his mother was half-Cuban and half-Filipino. He has a twin brother, Ozzie Canseco, who is also a former major league player. When Fidel Castro came into power in 1959, José Sr., a territory manager for the oil and gasoline corporation Esso as well as a part-time English teacher, lost his job and eventually his home. The family was allowed to leave Cuba in 1965, when the twins were barely one year old, and settled in the Miami area, where José Sr. became a territory manager for another oil and gasoline company, Amoco.

Canseco played baseball at Miami Coral Park High School, where he failed to make the varsity team until his senior year. He was named Most Valuable Player of the junior varsity team in his junior year and of the varsity team the following year. He graduated in 1982.

Baseball career

Minor League Baseball (1982–1985)

The Oakland Athletics drafted Canseco in the 15th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional baseball debut with the Miami Marlins of the Florida State League and also played Minor League Baseball with the Medford A's, Madison Muskies, Idaho Falls A's, Modesto A's, and Tacoma Tigers. Canseco started the 1985 season with the Class-AA Huntsville Stars and became known as "Parkway José" for his long home runs (25 in half a season) that went close to the Memorial Parkway behind Joe Davis Stadium. Canseco was nicknamed "The Natural", with some analysts saying he was the best prospect since Willie Mays. Oakland A's hitting coach Bob Watson said that Canseco was a mixture of Roberto Clemente, Dale Murphy, and Reggie Jackson. Others touted Canseco as the next Mickey Mantle.

Major League Baseball (1985–2001)

Oakland Athletics (1985–1992)

In 1985, Canseco won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award, and was a late "September call-up" for the Oakland Athletics. He made his Major League debut on September 2, striking out in his one at-bat against the Baltimore Orioles. His first hit was off Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees on September 7, and his first home run was off Jeff Russell of the Texas Rangers on September 9. He played in 29 games in the major leagues in 1985, batting .302 with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs in 96 at-bats. He was named Player of the Week from September 23 to 29 with a .481 BA (13 for 27), 3 HRs, and 7 RBIs in 7 games. He played both left and right field in 26 games and made 3 errors in 61 chances, with 56 putouts, 2 assists, and 1 double play. On September 26, he played 3 innings in center field, in his only career appearance in that position. For the entire 1985 year (AA, AAA, and Major League level combined), Canseco had a .330 batting average with 41 home runs, 140 runs batted in, 73 extra base hits, 336 total bases, and a .622 slugging percentage.

After being named Minor League Baseball Player of the Year and a good September call-up the prior year, Canseco was the favorite to win the American League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1986. He batted either fifth or third in the lineup and he established himself that year in his first full season as the starting left fielder for the Athletics. By the All-Star break he was leading the American League in home runs (23) and runs batted in (78) and was selected as a backup outfielder for the All-Star Game by manager Dick Howser, although he did not see any playing time in the game. An 0-for-34 batting slump in August prevented him from winning the RBI crown, finishing with 117, four fewer than league leader Joe Carter. He led the league in outfielder errors with 14 and was third with 175 strikeouts. Nonetheless, his 33 home runs (4th in the AL), 117 RBIs, 29 doubles, and 15 stolen bases helped him win the American League Rookie of the Year award, defeating California Angels first baseman Wally Joyner. He also finished 20th in the American League MVP ballot.

In 1987, first baseman Mark McGwire joined Canseco on the Athletics, as an everyday player. In that roster the A's also had veteran slugger Reggie Jackson, Canseco's childhood hero, playing in his last MLB season. The three sluggers combined for 95 home runs, led by McGwire’s 49 that set the rookie record. McGwire was also named the American League Rookie of the Year. Together, Canseco and McGwire formed a fearsome offensive tandem, later known as the "Bash Brothers". Canseco followed his rookie season with a similar offensive performance in 1987. He improved his batting average from .240 in 1986 to .257 in 1987, hitting 31 home runs, 113 runs batted in (6th in the AL), and 35 doubles (10th) in 691 at-bats (9th), while missing only 3 games the entire season. He was also 5th in the league in strikeouts, with 157. The Athletics lineup featured established players with a lot of experience like former MVPs Dave Parker and Don Baylor, as well as outfielder Dave Henderson, and third baseman Carney Lansford, that complemented McGwire and Canseco in the middle of the batting order. After alternating between batting second and third in the lineup for the first 10 games of the season, he was inserted in the number 3 spot for the rest of the season. He also moved from left to right field. Canseco hit a home run on Opening Day against the Seattle Mariners and had his first stolen base of the season. During the first 40 games of the season, he hit for a .300 batting average with 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases. His first multi-home run game was on July 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium during a 16-inning contest in which Canseco had a 3-for-7 performance, with 3 home runs and 6 runs batted in. By the All-Star break, he had 24 home runs (1st in the American League), 22 stolen bases, and 67 RBIs (2nd in the AL). He was selected by fans to the All-Star Game as one of the starting outfielders, batting fourth in the lineup. On July 31, he had his second and last multi-home run game of the year against the Seattle Mariners, hitting 2 homers. On September 18, he hit his 40th home run of the year against the Kansas City Royals in front of the Oakland crowd. Five days later against the Milwaukee Brewers, Canseco stole 2 bases, the second one coming after his first bunt of the season, to become the first 40-40 player in Major League history. With a .393/.446/.753 slash line, 8 home runs, and 24 RBIs in 24 games for the month, he was named the American League's Player of the Month for September. A well-rounded team with lots of power, great starting and relief pitching, and a sound defense, the Oakland Athletics finished the season with a major league-best 104 wins and swept the Boston Red Sox in 4 games in the ALCS. For the series, Canseco had a .313 batting average and hit home runs in games one, two, and four, and all of them either tied the game or gave the Athletics the lead, but the ALCS MVP Award went to reliver Dennis Eckersley who had 4 saves in 4 chances. The A's met the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, a matchup that featured the leading candidate to win the American League MVP Award facing the eventual National League Cy Young Award winner, Orel Hershiser. The Dodgers prevailed, upsetting the A's in five games. Canseco hit a grand slam in Game 1 during his first official World Series at-bat (though his second plate appearance, after he was hit by a pitch in the first inning), tying Gene Tenace for the Athletics’ franchise record of most home runs in a single postseason with 4, but it would be his only hit in the Series. He was unanimously named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1988 (making him the seventh player in league history to win the award unanimously) with a .307 batting average, 120 runs scored (second in the league), and 347 total bases (2nd), and leading the major leagues with 76 extra-base hits, 124 RBIs, 42 home runs, a .569 slugging percentage, and a 14.5 home run per at-bat ratio. The cap Canseco was wearing on that play, which This Week in Baseball rated in 1998 as the greatest blooper of the show's first 21 years, is in the collection of ESPN journalist Keith Olbermann. Three days later, on May 29, Canseco asked his manager, Kevin Kennedy, to let him pitch the eighth inning of a runaway loss to the Boston Red Sox. In his inning-long pitching appearance, he injured his arm. He was out of the lineup from May 31 until June 10. He played in another 15 games after his pitching outing against Boston but he was shut down on June 23 due to arm discomfort, requiring Tommy John surgery and missing the remainder of the season. He finished the 1993 season hitting .256 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs in 60 games. Canseco won the tournament, defeating Rafael Palmeiro in the final.

The Devil Rays re-signed Canseco for the 2000 season on a $3-million contract. The Devil Rays traded for third baseman Vinny Castilla and signed Greg Vaughn as a free agent to complement Fred McGriff and Canseco in the lineup. However, injuries caused the Tampa Bay front office to disband the quartet after the trade deadline. The first half of the season was one of the most difficult in Canseco's career. Bothered by a foot injury, he was put on the 15-day disabled list on May 25 and he ended up missing 41 of the team's 85 games up to the All-Star break. Canseco ended his Tampa Bay tenure on August 7th when he was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees. In one and a half seasons with the Devil Rays, Canseco had a slash line of .272/.373/.525 with 43 home runs, 33 doubles, 125 runs batted in, 77 extra base hits for a total of 176 hits in 174 games. At the time of the waivers' claim, Canseco's 440 career home runs were the most ever for any player acquired by the Yankees. The move to the Yankees caught many, including Yankees manager Joe Torre, off guard, as the Yankees had other players at the time who fulfilled similar roles, such as Dave Justice and Glenallen Hill. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made the claim to prevent the Athletics, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, who were in a close race with the Yankees, from acquiring Canseco. His short stint with the Yankees marked the third time he was Roger Clemens' teammate, a fact later magnified by the media due to the steroid controversy, the Mitchell Report, and the infamous pool party at Canseco's house two years prior while both played with the Blue Jays. In November, the Yankees declined Canseco's $5-million option and paid the $500,000 buyout, with Canseco becoming a free agent.

On January 16, 2001, the Anaheim Angels signed Canseco to an incentive-laden deal heavily based on plate appearances. On February 11th, Canseco once again participated in the Big League Challenge home run derby competition. He made it to the final for second year in a row, this time narrowly losing to fellow Cuban slugger Rafael Palmeiro.

During Spring Training and after only 39 at-bats in which he hit .231 and no home runs, the Angels cut Canseco. He lost the Anaheim DH spot to Glenallen Hill, with whom he shared at-bats for the Yankees the year prior. Hill ended up being released by the Angels in June, after hitting .136 with 1 home run in 16 games for the 2001 season, his last in the majors. Canseco spent half of the season with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, alongside his twin brother Ozzie Canseco. Jose was batting .284/.459/.507 with 7 home runs, 27 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases in 41 games before joining the Chicago White Sox on June 21st to replace Frank Thomas as the everyday designated hitter. Wearing jersey number 31 during his first game back in the majors since the 2000 World Series, he went 1-for-5 with a double as the DH, hitting fifth in the lineup. He had 3 RBIs in his second game of the season. His first home run came on June 26th against the Minnesota Twins. During the season he had two 2-homer games, one on July 8th and another on August 1st. He finished the season playing in 76 games, hitting 16 home runs and 49 RBIs in only 256 at-bats, a pace of 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs had he played the entire season. After playing one game for the Surf Dawgs, Canseco was traded to the Long Beach Armada on July 5, 2006. He requested the trade due to "family obligations." On July 31, 2006, Canseco won the Golden Baseball League's Home Run Derby.

Canseco signed a short team deal with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League on August 14, 2010. He served as bench coach and designated hitter.

On April 11, 2011, Canseco signed a deal as a player/manager for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League. During his tryout, he went 4 for 11 with a home run, 4 RBI and 3 walks. After the series, he gave himself the nickname El Cubano Cañonero ("the Cuban Cannon").

thumb|Canseco batting as a member of the Worcester Tornadoes in 2012

On April 20, 2012, the Worcester Tornadoes of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball announced that they had signed Canseco to a one-season contract for a salary of one thousand dollars a month. In the beginning of August 2012, Canseco left the Tornadoes due to concerns of not receiving his salary, a conflict which led him to sue the team. Canseco quickly signed with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings of the North American League. However, his debut was delayed due to a family emergency.

In early 2013 Canseco played in the Texas Winter League but was only 3-for-16 at the plate. He signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the United League to start the 2013 season.

In 2015, 2016, and 2017, Canseco had short playing stints in the Pacific Association, mostly with the Pittsburg Diamonds. Although he has not played Major League Baseball since 2001, Canseco has played for numerous minor-league teams over the years, most recently in 2018, when he was 53 years of age, for the Normal CornBelters of the Independent Frontier League. In recent years, he has usually played just a few games per season, but in 2011, he played 64 out of 88 games for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League. Canseco played 30 seasons of professional baseball over a span of 36 years between 1982 and 2018.

Amateur Adult Baseball (2011 and 2016)

In March 2011, Canseco played a few games with the Valley Rays in the Pacific Coast Baseball League in Los Angeles.

In May 2016, Canseco appeared for the SoCal Glory in the 35+ MSBL Las Vegas Open – National Tournament.

Performance-enhancing drugs

In 2005, Canseco admitted to using anabolic steroids in a tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big. Canseco also claimed that up to 85% of major league players took steroids, a figure disputed by many in the game. In the book, Canseco specifically identified former teammates Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Iván Rodríguez, and Juan González as fellow steroid users, and admitted that he injected them. Most of the players named in the book initially denied steroid use, though Giambi admitted to steroid use in testimony before a grand jury investigating the BALCO case and on January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted publicly to using steroids.

At a Congressional hearing on the subject of steroids in sports, Palmeiro categorically denied using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), while McGwire repeatedly refused to answer questions on his own suspected use, saying he "didn't want to talk about the past". Canseco's book became a New York Times bestseller. On August 1, 2005, Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days by MLB after testing positive for steroids.

On December 13, 2007, Canseco was cited in the Mitchell Report. On December 20 Canseco was also named in Jason Grimsley's unsealed affidavit as a user of steroids. Canseco and Grimsley were teammates on the 2000 New York Yankees.

On December 30, 2007, it was announced that Canseco had reached a deal for his sequel to Juiced. The sequel, Vindicated, was released in March 2008. This book has information on Alex Rodriguez and Albert Belle, as suggested by Canseco. Canseco said the book was a "clarification" of names that should have been mentioned in the Mitchell Report.

In 2010, Canseco spoke out against PEDs advocating baseball's youth to not try them, and criticized their effectiveness overall:

"These kids don't need steroids to become players...we overemphasize the steroids and not the athletic ability and skills of these people. We're taking away the hard work the athlete puts in and saying he became great just because of steroids. Let me give you a perfect example. I have an identical twin brother, Ozzie. He is the closest thing to me genetically. And in my prime, I was a super athlete." "My twin brother used the same chemicals, same workouts, the same nutrition. Why didn't he make it in the big leagues? That is the perfect example that we are giving steroids way too much credit. If steroids are that great, it would have made him a superstar."

In a 2012 Sportsnet Interview article, Canseco said one of his only seasons without performance-enhancing drugs was in 1998 with the Toronto Blue Jays because he was in the process of a divorce and "didn't want to use steroids while handling breakup-induced depression".

Outside baseball

While still a player, he was a guest star on The Simpsons in Homer at the Bat and Nash Bridges. Since his retirement, Canseco has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, 60 Minutes, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Boomer and Carton, The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CMI: The Chris Myers Interview, and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. In 2003, he was featured in the reality-TV special Stripper's Ball: Jenna Jameson with Dennis Rodman and Magic Johnson. He was a cast member in Season 5 of The Surreal Life with Janice Dickinson, Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa, Bronson Pinchot, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Caprice Bourret, and Carey Hart. Canseco has a film cameo playing himself in the 2017 basketball drama Slamma Jamma as a judge in a slam dunk competition.

In 2007, he received 6 Hall of Fame votes. This accounted for 1.1% of the ballots, failing to reach the 5% threshold necessary to stay on the ballot for another year. However, he can be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Committee of Baseball Veterans.

In 2008, Philadelphia sportscaster and former NFL football player Vai Sikahema accepted a challenge from Canseco.

On January 24, 2009, Canseco fought radio personality and former child actor Danny Bonaduce in Aston Township, Pennsylvania; the three-round match ended in a majority draw.

Canseco claims to hold black belts in karate and taekwondo, and to practice Muay Thai, as well as describing himself as "an expert with nunchakus". He made his mixed martial arts debut at Dream 9 on May 26, 2009, where he fought kickboxer Hong-man Choi as part of Dream's Super Hulk Tournament. Canseco would lose the fight after slipping, and tapping out to Choi's ground and pound.

On November 6, 2009, Canseco defeated Todd Poulton in a Celebrity Boxing Federation bout in Springfield, Massachusetts. On December 2010, he launched a Twitter campaign in hopes of getting invited to spring training by Mets GM Sandy Alderson.

Beginning March 6, 2011, Canseco was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice. He quit the show on April 3, 2011, citing his father's ailing health. Canseco later announced on Twitter that his father died shortly after he left the show. Canseco did earn $25,000 for his charity, the Baseball Assistance Team.

In 2012, Canseco accepted a home run derby challenge by Canadian semi-pro baseball player Evan Malamud, father of 3 boys on the autism spectrum, as part of a fundraiser for an initiative called Home Runs For Autism.

He wrote several columns for Vice in 2012.

In May 2013, Canseco provided the foreword to the novel Air Force Gator 2: Scales of Justice by Dan Ryckert. Canseco wrote that the book about an alcoholic alligator pilot is a "weakly veiled" metaphor for his own life.

On October 28, 2014, Canseco accidentally shot himself on his left hand and injured one of his fingers while attempting to clean his gun at home in Las Vegas, Nevada. During surgery, doctors were able reattach his finger with a piece of bone from his hip.

Canseco was portrayed by Andy Samberg in The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience in 2019 alongside Mark McGwire, portrayed by Akiva Schaffer. The comedy special describes the two baseball players' careers and rampant steroid use in the 1980s.

On October 26, 2019, Canseco opened a car wash in Las Vegas, where he signed autographs every Wednesday. He posted on social media in 2023 that he was looking to sell the car wash.

On February 5, 2021, Canseco fought Billy Football from Barstool Sports in a boxing match and was knocked out in the first round.

In August 2024, Canseco was inducted into the Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame.

Legal issues and controversies

On February 10, 1989, Canseco was arrested in Florida for reckless driving after allegedly leading an officer on a 15-mile chase. He was found guilty and fined $500.

On April 11, 1989, Canseco was arrested in California for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his car. He was released on $2,500 bail and pleaded no contest.

On February 13, 1992, Canseco was charged with aggravated battery for ramming his Porsche into a BMW driven by his then-wife Esther Canseco after a verbal altercation. On March 19, 1992, Canseco pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and later underwent counseling and fulfilled a community-service requirement.

In November 1997, Canseco was arrested for beating his then-wife Jessica Canseco. In January 1998, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year of probation and required to attend counseling.

In October 2001, Canseco and his brother, Ozzie, got into a fight with two men at a Miami Beach nightclub that left one man with a broken nose and another needing 20 stitches in his lip; both were charged with two counts of aggravated battery. The brothers both pleaded guilty and received both probation and community service.

Following his retirement in May 2002, Canseco speculated about having been "blackballed" from Major League Baseball; it was then he announced he was writing a tell-all book about his baseball career and the increasing usage of anabolic steroids in baseball.

In March 2003, Canseco missed a court appearance while in California working out a custody dispute over his 6-year-old child. The judge revoked his probation and sentenced him to two years under house arrest followed by three years' probation.

In June 2003, Canseco was arrested at his home for probation violation after he tested positive for steroids. Canseco spent a month in jail without bail.

In May 2008, Canseco revealed that he had lost his house in Encino, California to foreclosure, saying his two divorces had cost him $7 to $8 million each.

On October 10, 2008, Canseco was detained by immigration officials at a San Diego border crossing as he tried to bring a fertility drug from Mexico. He stated the drug was to help with his hormone replacement therapy, needed due to his use of steroids. On November 4, Canseco pleaded guilty in federal court and was sentenced to 12 months' unsupervised probation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben B. Brooks.

The 2008 A&E Network documentary Jose Canseco: Last Shot chronicles Canseco's attempts to end his steroid use. In it, he also regrets ever writing his tell-all books and naming former teammates as steroid users, as he was never given the opportunity to participate in MLB-affiliated baseball events. Since then, he has tried unsuccessfully to reach out to McGwire and other ex-teammates. In 2014, he returned to the Oakland Coliseum to take part in the reunion celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1989 World Series championship team; this marked the first time Canseco took part in an official MLB event in almost 13 years. Mark McGwire, at the time coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, did not attend the event.

On May 22, 2013, Canseco was named as a suspect in a rape allegation in Las Vegas. He broke the news himself on Twitter, denying the allegations by posting pictures and information about his accuser, and accusing her of lying. On June 7, the case against Canseco was closed following an investigation, and he was not charged.

Mixed martial arts record

|Loss

|align=center|0–1

|Hong Man Choi

|TKO (submission to punches)

|Dream 9

|align=center|1

|align=center|1:17

|Yokohama, Japan

|DREAM Hulk Grand Prix Quarterfinal

References

External links

Laredo Broncos Bio